Yarmouth vote leaves school budget gap unresolved

Yarmouth selectmen will urge town meeting voters on Monday not to give more money to the schools for this year to settle the regional school district's finances.

By CHRISTINE LEGERE

capecodtimes.com

By CHRISTINE LEGERE

Posted Jul. 24, 2014 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jul 24, 2014 at 8:01 AM

By CHRISTINE LEGERE

Posted Jul. 24, 2014 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jul 24, 2014 at 8:01 AM

» Social News

SOUTH YARMOUTH — Selectmen will urge town meeting voters on Monday not to give more money to the schools for this year, and if voters follow that advice, Dennis and Yarmouth may be headed to a joint town meeting by late summer to settle the regional school district's finances.

At issue is a remaining shortfall of $212,515 in Yarmouth's $28.4 million bill for this year.

After discussing the school budget until nearly midnight Tuesday, selectmen unanimously voted to urge town meeting to defeat an article to pay the final $212,515.

"The feeling of the board is we contributed enough and to contribute any more would reduce the town's side of the budget to a level we and the townspeople wouldn't be comfortable with," selectmen Chairman Erik Tolley said Wednesday.

Larry Azer, the Dennis-Yarmouth school district's finance director, said the vote of the Yarmouth board has caused school administrators "more frustration and disappointment."

"It elongates the process and adds more uncertainty regarding what we're able to do," Azer said.

Under state law, the school district can spend only 1/12 of its fiscal 2014 budget amount each month until it has an approved budget for fiscal 2015.

Azer said state law requires that the school committee now call a joint town meeting to come up with an approved budget. The meeting will likely take place in late August or early September.

Yarmouth selectmen argue the school committee could cut its budget to avoid the joint town meeting.

A similar meeting, held in 2008, caused a rift between the communities that has yet to fully mend.

"I think it would be extremely unfortunate for the school committee to go to a district meeting over $200,000," Tolley said.

Azer believes budget reductions are unlikely.

"We would have to cut $325,000 from the budget to come up with Yarmouth's $212,000," said Azer, explaining Dennis' bill would have to be reduced as well. "I don't see the committee making a recommendation to cut."

School Superintendent Carol Woodbury agreed.

"Cutting $325,000 is a lot," she said. "And it would require a two-thirds vote to pass, which is five out of seven school committee members."

During budgeting last winter, Yarmouth officials had planned on an increase of $650,000 to the school assessment, or 2.5 percent, for fiscal 2015, based on the arrangement Dennis and Yarmouth had used for the last two years.

They later learned Dennis officials were no longer willing to use the 2.5 percent arrangement, since it caused that town to pay more than it otherwise would.

Because the two towns could not reach a funding agreement, school officials used the state's Chapter 70 formula for regional assessments this year, which boosted Yarmouth's share by $1.7 million over fiscal 2014.

Despite cutting the town side of the budget by $700,000, Yarmouth remained short.

Woodbury said she was "disappointed but not surprised" by the selectmen's action Tuesday.

"I think they had tried really hard to get a deal with Dennis" on a workable funding arrangement for the school system, Woodbury said. Using the Chapter 70 state formula made it very challenging for Yarmouth, the superintendent added.

Dennis, which funded its full $16 million assessment at the spring annual town meeting, is closely watching the situation unfold in Yarmouth.

"I'm disappointed they're not going to fund it," Dennis Board of Selectmen Chairman Paul McCormick said of the Yarmouth board's decision. "I guess we'll wait and see what happens next."

Should Yarmouth voters decide to cover the $212,515 shortfall, despite the recommendation from selectmen, they will have to vote a funding source via a second town meeting article.

The suggested cuts would wipe out funding for roadside mowing and street sweeping, and require a small reduction to funds for the police department's anti-crime team.